and now they are gone

This was tough. Sometimes it is very tough, sometimes it is easy.. this was the former. Teddy went and got adopted on Friday. It is a great home, and I'm glad for it, but I am very sad he is gone. Friday night I went down to the kitten room to feed them. There is a couch in that room, and I always make it a point to count kittens before I sit down to make sure there isn't one in the couch. I found Bru and Cru, and NoMi, and I kept looking for the fourth, till I realized I was looking for Teddy. That was hard.

The kittens were fine.. they were playing and not really needing lovin yet again, so I went off to bed. This morning I packed them all up, and off I went to the shelter, feeling horribly guilty that I wasn't keeping them. I walked in and the shelter wasn't ready for me. No matter how many times I tell them when I am coming, they are never ready for me. One of the girls was headed off to the local pet store where we have a presence and asked if I wanted to bring the group down there. I wasn't thrilled, but it seemed the best option, and they seemed optimistic that they would find homes, so I agreed. Well, when the shelter was ready to open, they weren't ready to leave, so I stayed at the shelter to talk to people for a bit. Several were looking for dogs, and I directed to people to talk to or just to look at dogs. One woman was looking specifically for cats... a pair of cats, kittens in fact. She had previously gotten two kittens that turned out to be FELV + and after a few months one died, and the second died recently. I asked the questions I like to know the answers to.. indoor? yes, declaw? no.. so I introduced her to my pair. I really wanted Bruiser and Cruiser to go together. It was so important to me, that I actually put it in my prayers the past couple of days. I didn't know how on earth I'd handle them being separated. They really did love each other very much, and I so wanted to keep both of them. She rents which is a little scary, but what impressed me was the previous cats were diagnosed when they were neutered, and she kept them to the end. That is hard both emotionally and financially. Most people PTS when they get the diagnosis regardless of how the cats are doing. The other thing that concerns me slightly is the mother smokes. I couldn't tell if she did. Cats suffer from second-hand smoke just as humans do. But she was willing to listen to my radical speech about cat care, seemed open and cared about doing the best, so if it couldn't be me, this wasn't a bad home.

I almost got NoMi adopted right after, but I stupidly suggested to the couple they look around to be sure. They came in looking for a male, and they found a cute one and went with him. He was a cutie, and a love, I can't fault them for choosing him, but it would have made my day if they had taken her.

After Bru and Cru's adoption was final, I went off to the store. TONS of lookie loos, but no one serious about adopting. It was a bit hard on NoMi to put up with all the people wanting to pat her but she did really well. I set her up in a cage, and all she did was hide. Later on in the day, I gave her some wet food, and I think that settled her a little because she started peeking around the corner of her hidey hole.

Unfortunately, the staff member wasn't feeling well and left early when another volunteer showed up. also, unfortunately, I ended up ticking the woman off with my "I'm against declawing" opinion since her cat is declawed. Not sure why, since she was against it herself, but was afraid that the cat was on its way to destroying the house (ripping up carpet). While I am personally 100% against it, and personally would recommend a wide variety of solutions to problems, if it is done, it is done. I don't think less of people if they do it. When I think less of people is when they don't even consider what it is going to do to the cat, when they don't think of what the surgery actually is and think it is the same as being neutered. way too many vets downplay the pain and the depth of the surgery because it is expensive and money in their pockets if they make it seem to be no big deal. Lots of people once they know what it is, refuse to do it. If you make the decision to declaw knowing what is involved, and how it will hurt the cat, and know the possible complications to the cat in the future, and you are able to weigh all of that against whatever reason you have for declawing and truly feel it is for the best (and honestly, no couch is worth it) and or it is a case of the cat staying in the home then it is your decision. I wish more people would make the decision as she did. It was something she didn't want to do but felt she needed to. I'm okay with that... okay, so I'm not, cause I do know there are other options, but MOST people don't, don't know where to look for those options, and are not given those options by their vets. It's sad, cause cats really need their claws to get a proper stretch, to walk properly (they are finding declawed cats are more prone to arthritis) and to generally be a cat.

Sigh.

I don't think less of people who have already declawed (unless they don't care) I think less of people who hear the reasons not to, who hear the options, and feel that what they want is way more important than the health and well-being of the cat. I think less of people who get cats to be property, and expect it to conform with what they want out of life, and not respect the cat for what it is, for what it needs, and what it wants. Too many people get ticked off with their cat for not using the litterbox, instead of being highly concerned, since it is the first sign of ill health.

I'm ranting. I should stop. Let me just say there are people out there who get cats, who should have stuffed animals, not living beings. I wish they came with labels. Those are the people that bug me.

If you are still reading... thank you. And if you wouldn't mind sending up a quick prayer that NoMi finds a perfect home, I would so totally appreciate it.